Turn You InsideOut
by ValidEntry
Summary: The real reason behind Quinn's transformation between junior and senior year.
1. The Haircut

**AN: This is an alternate take on Nationals and the reason behind Quinn's transformation at the beginning of senior year. It starts out at Nationals and before school ended for the summer between their junior and senior year. I will get to the summer section in the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Santana could feel Rachel slipping through her hands. She grunted – she honest to God grunted – and pulled a lunging Rachel backwards once more. Sam and Mike were sweating profusely. Their grip on the girl was at times no better than Santana's. She vaguely pondered if she looked as drained and uncomfortable as the boys. Her fingers fell away from Rachel completely. Quinn was in serious trouble now.

"How dare you, Quinn Fabray! You know how hard we've worked! And all for what? You to sabotage our chances because you're upset that Finn broke up with you!"

Rachel jerked forward. Santana quickly pivoted away from Rachel's dangling feet. The girl was using them as a weapon, intent on striking at Quinn in any way possible. But Quinn didn't seem to mind.

Santana was pretty sure she was going to get premature wrinkles over this whole ordeal. Her face creased into a frown for the umpteenth time since Quinn pulled her little on-stage shocker. Why the fuck was Quinn not fighting back? Or even saying anything?

Quinn's eyes never left the floor. Her feet shuffled against the carpet and her head was bent low. It was the most perfect "aw, shucks" gesture that Santana had ever seen. Quinn didn't look angry, only nervous and embarrassed.

One of Rachel's shoes flew through the air and landed with a soft thud mere inches from Quinn. Santana was surprised that Rachel hadn't lost her shoes earlier; such was the brunette's fury. Quinn swooped lower, picked up the shoe, and carefully – almost tenderly – placed it back on Rachel's foot. Mistake, Santana thought. And she was correct.

Rachel swung her foot upward and it connected with Quinn's face. Quinn's squeak of surprise and hurt would have been funny if not for the blood that immediately poured out of her nose. There was a flurry of movement around the room. Sam and Mike dragged Rachel toward the door. Finn followed behind them. Puck and Lauren steadied Quinn while Tina ran to the bathroom for tissues. Artie took out his phone to call Mr. Schue. And Brittany hid in a corner.

Santana instructed Quinn to tilt her head and pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Hurts too much," Quinn mumbled.

Tina came back and Santana grabbed the tissues from her. She gently squeezed Quinn's nose and winced when the blonde howled in protest.

"We have to stop the bleeding, Quinn. Don't be such a pussy."

Santana glanced around the room. Everyone still present looked both shocked and a little frightened.

"Everyone needz to exit stage left so that me and my girl can have a little chat." Santana shooed everyone out of the room with a flip of her hand. Brittany intuitively knew she was not part of the "everyone" that Santana wanted to leave. She sat down on the bed and hugged Quinn tightly while Santana doctored the wound.

Santana was fuming. All of this was over a simple kiss. She knew about Quinn's feelings for Rachel. It was no secret among The Unholy Trinity. While she had to admit that Quinn's timing was off, she knew it wasn't an act of sabotage on Quinn's part.

Quinn was surprisingly adept at reading Santana's mind. "I thought she might find it romantic. Me kissing her onstage."

Santana held in a sigh of frustration. It had been an irrational move on Quinn's part. She'd broken the choreography of Light Up the World. Glided over to Rachel – which was not the prearranged dance routine – as Finn turned his back on Rachel and walked toward the other Glee boys. The plan was that he'd face Rachel again and they'd clasp hands and finish the song together. But as soon as Finn stepped aside, Quinn moved in. She was the one to link her fingers with Rachel's. The kiss she planted on Rachel was nothing short of fierce and hungry.

"You could see that Rachel might not think your motives were pure. She doesn't know that you like her, like her."

"But last night, we both got in from sightseeing at the same time. We were lying in bed together talking when our fingers brushed together. And we were suddenly holding hands. Holding hands, Santana! It was as if it were by instinct. We didn't let go until dawn. I thought, maybe, she has feelings for me."

"Instead of asking her how she felt about you…you decided to kiss her onstage? In front of hundreds of people? You know, like the judges and our competition?"

"I should see if she's all right."

"Uh…I think you should give her time to calm down. And for your nose to stop gushing. You are not painting the most attractive picture of yourself right now."

Quinn dropped her shoulders in defeat and allowed her two best friends to put her back together again.

(Break)

But the next morning seemed to bring new life into Quinn Fabray. On the flight back from New York, Quinn sat sullenly beside Santana in their assigned seats for the first half of the trip. But, after Santana returned from the restroom, Brittany was sitting in what used to be Quinn's seat. Santana shot her girlfriend a quizzical look.

"Quinn promised to go motocross racing with me if I switched with her. Plus, this way we can be together and Quinn can be with Rachel."

As if Brittany had summoned some malevolent force by the sheer mention of Rachel's name, the brunette's tirade against Quinn suddenly roared back in its full-fledged glory. It started with Rachel's usual accusations of sabotage and Quinn's lowered head. Rachel's voice rose octave by octave until a flight attendant and Mr. Schue intervened.

And Rachel was bumped to first class for the rest of the flight. Santana believed this was already going to cause the diva to turn into MAXIMUM DIVA.

Quinn spent the rest of the flight staring morosely out the window of the plane. Santana considered her somewhere between totally whipped and extremely annoying.

And it didn't stop there. Quinn insisted on helping Rachel remove her very heavy luggage from baggage claim. Rachel adamantly refused. Quinn reached for Rachel's bags anyway, which simply turned into a tug-of-war between the two girls that ended when Quinn fell heavily to the ground and twisted her ankle.

Santana stormed over. "Enough!"

"I agree," said Rachel, before heaving her bag from the floor and dashing out of the airport.

When Quinn was able to gingerly walk on her ankle a little steadier, Santana spoke out.

"You need to stay away from Rachel."

"I can't! I like her. We held hands!"

"You sound pathetic right now. Since when is handholding that big of a deal?"

"On some levels, Santana, it's as big a deal as having sex without considering it dating."

Santana would have punched Quinn at that point if not for two things. The first was that Quinn had suffered enough injuries in the past twelve hours. Plus, right when Santana started her rant, Brittany broke her silence.

"Quinn is simply a kitten's mitten."

Santana smiled lovingly at the girl. "I think you mean smitten kitten, Brittany."

Brittany just shrugged and even Quinn smiled. Slightly.

"Just give her some breathing room, Q. Okay?"

Quinn's answer was noncommittal. Santana thought that was probably a bad omen.

And she was correct.

The next day at school, Quinn brought Rachel flowers and two tickets to the ballet. Rachel simply threw the flowers in the trash, tore the tickets right in front of Quinn's face, and Santana watched as the confetti fell to the floor and scattered across the hallway.

Santana sauntered over toe Quinn and said, "I am not only going to repeat that you have to stay away from Rachel, I am going to make sure you pay the consequence each time you do. And I consider this your last warning. Give me one hundred dollars."

"Uh…no."

"Uh…yes. Every time you try to talk to Rachel, buy her gifts, or whatever other shit to try to pull, you have to pay your dues. So, give me a hundred dollars."

Quinn pulled two fifties out of her bag and reluctantly handed them over to Santana.

(Break)

That night, Santana deposited her new found wealth in a jar she'd labeled Troll Toll, in honor of Rachel.

She earned another hundred when Quinn brought Rachel a stack of vegan recipes the next day. It might not have been so bad had not Quinn stated that she'd stayed up nearly all night trying to find really, really good ones. Stalker much, Santana wondered.

Yet after stashing her second hundred in her Troll Toll jar, Santana realized that, perhaps, money wasn't the best solution. Quinn's family was wealthy. She could probably afford to pay off Santana for months.

Santana spent the next few hours pondering what mattered the most to Quinn besides Beth, Rachel, and good grades. And then it hit her! Her hair. Santana Lopez had never seen a girl more obsessed with her hair than Quinn. The amount of products she used was astonishing. Quinn loved her long hair, the light bounce of its curls, its lustrous quality.

One evening over dinner at Breadstix, Santana told Quinn she was going to cut her hair if she so much as went near Rachel again. It was painfully clear that the girl wanted nothing to do with Quinn, Santana patiently reminded her friend.

"I wouldn't let you cut my hair!"

"We won't have to worry about it, now will we? 'Cause you are going to stay away from Rachel. Right?"

Quinn looped her fingers around her curls and said nothing.

(Break)

Santana almost brought scissors with her to school the next day. She should have known she'd need them as soon as she noticed Quinn covertly make her way to Rachel's locker.

What came next was too bizarre for Santana to fathom.

Quinn stood close to Rachel, squared her shoulders, and intoned: "Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad. Barukh sheim k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed."

"Is she speaking Avatar?" Brittany whispered. Santana hushed her so she could better make out Rachel's response.

"Quinn, how do you know about the _Shema_?"

Quinn looked proud of herself. "I've been brushing up on my Judaism. I want to learn more about your religion."

Rachel took two steady but quick steps back from Quinn. "That's not necessary, but thank you just the same."

And with that Rachel slammed her locker shut and made her way to class. Quinn appeared crestfallen, especially after seeing Santana and Brittany make their way over to her. She pulled five twenties from her bag and thrust them at Santana.

"Oh, no, no, no. Haircut, Fabray, you keep breaking the rules. Money won't cut it anymore. You knew what would happen if we caught you again: Hair-fucking-cut."

"This is a really drastic step."

"Since when was a haircut drastic? We're not giving you a Mohawk so you can look more like your Baby Daddy. Howz about you come on over to the Lopez mansion around six-ish?"

"How short, though? Are we just talking about a trim?"

Santana and Brittany exchanged glances. "More like cutting quite a bit off."

"I never agreed to any of this!"

"Uh…yeah, you kinda did the moment you started paying us money as a way to curtail your sickening desire to crawl inside Rachel's pants. Or, in her case, under her skirts."

"But I really want her to know I wasn't trying to get back at anyone at Nationals."

"It's too late for that. Agree to this haircut or I'll let Britt-Britt go all Edward Scissorhands on you."

Quinn's mouth lodged open in incredulity. "What if I promise not to talk to Rachel for – I don't know – a month or so?"

"Too late. When you start learning foreign languages to impress a girl who wants to pretend you don't even inhabit the same world, you've already gone too far."

Santana patted Quinn on the back and said, "Bring us over some Chinese take-out on your way to my house."


	2. The Clothes You Wear

Quinn yawned and squinted her eyes against the sun as she favored Santana with a goofy grin. "That was by far my favorite last day of school. Ever."

"You sound like you are in middle school. Stop talking. Please."

And Quinn stopped talking. Santana relaxed and reveled in the sounds of summer: The whir of the filter in the pool, the sound of Judy Fabray flirting with her gardener, Brittany's high-pitched giggle each time she dove into the water.

As long as Quinn stayed silent, this would be a beautiful way to celebrate her first afternoon of freedom from McKinley. Santana couldn't help but smile as she watched Brittany again make her way to the diving board.

"You saw her, right? She kissed me back. Just like at Nationals."

Santana wanted to pitch Quinn into the water. She was becoming insufferable. She knew how long Quinn had wrestled with her feelings for Rachel. Santana had been waiting for the moment when an argument between Quinn and Rachel ended with one of them kissing the other. But, until the Glee trip to New York, Quinn had rarely spoken of Rachel. She was beginning to suspect that Quinn wasn't going to act on her attraction at all.

She certainly hadn't expected Quinn to be sobold as to kiss Rachel in public. On a stage. In front of a shit-load of people. Who did that in real life? It only happened in romantic comedies.

And Quinn hadn't ended it there. Nope. She'd needed an encore.

(Break)

It being the last day of school, Santana was too distracted to pay much mind to Quinn and The Rachel Problem. And, anyway, she didn't even come across Quinn until right before glee club.

"I haven't seen Rachel today."

"Good. You aren't supposed to see Rachel. I'm proud of your restraint, Q."

Both girls turned to the door at the same time. Santana could just make out Rachel and Tina talking.

She was on the verge of telling Quinn to remain calm, don't stare at Rachel, get through the hour without…

Before she could even finish the thought in her mind, Quinn had bolted out of her seat and headed toward Rachel.

And before Rachel could even speak, Quinn had attached her lips to Rachel's. Even Santana had to admit that the kiss was pretty hot. Even though it was short-lived. Rachel had shoved Quinn backwards and shot Tina a bewildered look before turning her attention back to Quinn.

"Your hair looks very nice, Quinn. I always suspected you'd be even prettier with short hair."

Santana found that an odd reaction, even for Rachel. Where was the tantrum?

Quinn's response was to lean in and try to kiss Rachel again.

Rachel pushed Quinn away for the second time. "Do not try to kiss me anymore! You stand to gain nothing. Nationals is over. Or are you planning on trying to kiss me at Sectionals next fall, therefore ruining our chances of even qualifying for Nationals?"

"I plan on kissing you everywhere."

Santana cringed at the dopey smile on Quinn's face. Where the fuck did Quinn learn such lame pick-up lines? But she couldn't help but laugh as she watched Rachel's face quickly turn red. Rachel frowned at Santana before brushing past Quinn and out the door.

She never came back for glee club. But Quinn seemed fine with that. And Santana spent the hour thinking of ways to reprimand Quinn for violating the rules of not approaching Rachel.

Which is how Santana found herself at Quinn's house that afternoon: She had demanded full access to Quinn's pool for the entire summer. It definitely wasn't the worst punishment in the world, but the way Quinn was going it was only a matter of time before she'd have to come up with others.

Quinn broke the silence. Her conversational abilities were clearly stuck on repeat mode: "She kissed me back."

"Is that how you lull yourself to sleep at night, Q? Mumbling about Rachel Berry kissing you back."

"That's two kisses. Two." Quinn held up two fingers.

Santana swatted Quinn's hand. "I can count, dipshit. Are you forgetting that she also ran away from you? Twice." Santana resisted the urge to poke two fingers into Quinn's chest.

"She's just playing hard to get."

"Is that really and truly what you think?"

Quinn paused. Santana watched Brittany dive into the pool as she waited on Quinn's response.

"I don't know. Maybe. It's what I believe. She did tell me I'm pretty."

"Correction: She told you she liked your haircut. And how could she not? I'm the one that cut it."

"No. She did say I'm pretty. Her words were 'I always suspected you'd be even prettier with short hair.'"

"Sweet Mother of God, did you memorize her exact words?"

"Yes." There was that ridiculous smile on Quinn's face again.

Santana couldn't take it anymore. She rose from her seat. "Stay away from her. She's not playing hard to get. She's angry with you, even if she kissed you back. It was probably just her reacting on an impulse. Or she wouldn't have pushed you away or gotten mad at you."

Santana jumped into the pool and ignored Quinn's comeback by dunking under the water.

(Break)

The first few days of summer went by rather smoothly after that. Santana spent every afternoon lounging on the deck of Quinn's pool. Quinn said nothing about Rachel. Santana couldn't tell if this was Quinn's way of pouting or plotting. Probably a bit of both.

She put all her money on plotting when the three girls spotted Rachel at the mall during the second week of summer break.

They might have been okay had Brittany not run squealing over to Rachel. Brittany enveloped Rachel in a bear hug. Santana almost gagged. Her girlfriend was touchy-feely to a fault. Santana couldn't even entertain the thought of being within hugging distance of Rachel. But it was Quinn's reaction that caused Santana to wish she had skipped breakfast. It was a nauseating sight to behold.

Quinn nuzzled in-between Rachel and Brittany to where she was now hugging Rachel while Brittany was left dangling her arms loosely around Quinn. Santana's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. What kind of warped world did she now inhabit? She roughly dislodged Quinn's arms from around Rachel.

But she should have put her hand over Quinn's mouth.

"Rachel, would you go out with me?"

Santana's mouth dropped open at the same time as Rachel's.

Rachel didn't answer Quinn. Instead, she addressed Santana.

"Why are you letting her keep this up? Hasn't she done enough?"

"Hold up, Berry. I'm not helping Quinn with anything. I want her to stay away from you."

"Excellent. See that she does."

Rachel gave Brittany a clipped smile before moving past the girls.

Quinn sat down heavily on a bench. "I wish she would just believe me."

Santana huffed out her response. "And do you want to know what I wish? That you'd leave her the fuck alone!"

Quinn looked like she was about to cry. Brittany put her arm around Quinn and laid her head on Quinn's shoulder.

Santana didn't let either of them deter her. "You initiated contact with Rachel. And you know what that means."

She let Brittany choose the punishment this time, even though that proved a mistake. Brittany decided that Quinn could not wear dresses or skirts over the summer. Only pants or shorts.

Santana groaned. That was hardly going to prove worthy of keeping Quinn away from Rachel. She'd have to think of a better one. Something that might be a game-changer. Because Santana Lopez knew that Quinn Fabray was going to try to win over Rachel Berry by any means necessary. Unless Santana could think of a punishment bold and serious enough to cause Quinn to shudder any time someone so much as mentioned one Rachel Berry to her.

**AN: Thanks for reading/reviewing/alerting! **


	3. The Nose Ring

"When do you usually work out?"

Santana tore her gaze away from Brittany in her bikini long enough to answer Quinn. "Every other day."

Quinn sighed. "What time during the day? Not how often."

With some difficulty, Santana kept her gaze fixed on Quinn. "Evenings. And you already know this information. We used to work out together. Or have all of your non-Rachel related memories disappeared?"

"Funny. Very funny. I think we should start working out together again."

"Why? Are you planning on re-joining the Cheerios?"

"I haven't made up my mind yet."

Santana was suddenly suspicious. "Does this have something to do with Rachel?"

"I'm not working out to impress Rachel, if that's what you mean. I just think it would be nice if we started jogging together again."

"Jogging? You said working out."

"Jogging is a form of working out. Running is a great way to exercise."

Santana leaned closer to Quinn. Her forehead was almost touching Quinn's. "What's with the motivational speech? I swear to you, Fabray, if this is about Rachel…"

Quinn interrupted her. "Rachel jogs in the mornings. We'd be going in the evenings."

Santana sat back but refused to look away from Quinn. She barely blinked. "Okay, first, don't ever tell me how you know Rachel's jogging schedule. You're starting to creep me out. Do you follow her around? Wait! Don't answer that."

Quinn's face lit up with that annoying "I love all things Rachel Berry" grin. "I saw her one morning when I was on my way to church. I wasn't stalking her. She looks cute when she runs."

There were not enough eye rolls in the world. "Is there a thing in all of the land that Rachel could do that you wouldn't find cute?"

Quinn pouted. "I don't like it when she ignores me. That's not cute."

Santana sighed and repositioned herself in the lounge chair. "That, sweetheart, was something to consider before you ambushed her with a kiss."

"She kissed me back!"

"Let's not start that again. I'll go running with you…as long as you don't mention Rachel."

Quinn folded her arms across her chest. "Fine. Deal."

Santana came close to laughing at Quinn. She looked so incredibly ridiculous. Quinn was scowling like a small child who can't have her way. Santana returned her attention to Brittany. And, thankfully, no one mentioned Rachel for the rest of the afternoon.

(Break)

Santana was ready to admit that she was more out of shape than she could've imagined. She paused to catch her breath after only running two and a half miles. When was the last time she went jogging? She could usually run four miles with no problem. Maybe Quinn was on to something with her whole "running is a great way to exercise" shtick.

Quinn turned back and trotted over to Santana. "Need a break, Lopez? I can always go on by myself."

Santana opened her mouth to reply when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rachel Berry walking briskly in their direction. Fuck it all! She should've known Quinn was lying!

Santana nodded in Rachel's direction. "Don't look now, Quinn, but here comes your chosen one."

Quinn whipped around and Santana lunged at the opportunity. She was going to teach Quinn a lesson if it damn near killed her. Right as Quinn went to wave at Rachel, Santana pulled the blonde to her. And then she kissed her. Hard.

Santana kept her eyes glued on Rachel in order to gauge the girl's reaction. Rachel stopped short right in front of the two girls. As soon as Rachel's jaw snapped open and her eyes widened, Santana broke the kiss. But she kept her body flush against Quinn's.

Santana plastered her best fake smile on her face. "Why, Rachel, it's so nice to see you."

Quinn kept darting her eyes between Santana and Rachel. Her mouth was opening and closing like she couldn't take in enough air. For her part, Rachel stared at Quinn as if Santana wasn't even there.

Santana took advantage of Quinn's confusion and Rachel's silence to kiss Quinn on the cheek. She tried her best to make the gesture seem as loving and affectionate as possible.

She prided herself on her quick response. Given time, she most likely could not have thought of anything to even remotely top this gem. There was no better way to punish Quinn than to make Rachel think that Santana and Quinn were somehow an item. It might not bother Rachel, but it would go a long way in upsetting Quinn. The whole thing was brilliant!

Santana leaned further into Quinn and sneered at Rachel. She wrapped her arm securely around Quinn's waist, despite the sudden squirming fit that overtook Quinn.

Rachel finally looked at Santana. "Does Brittany know?"

"Brittany was the one that got us together." Santana pulled a fidgeting and clearly uncomfortable Quinn even closer. She smiled sweetly at Rachel.

Quinn lurched away from her and moved as if to grab Rachel. The brunette put up a hand to stop Quinn. The blonde pointed at Santana and said, "She's lying! I like you! You kissed me back!"

Santana wanted to slap Quinn. The girl desperately needed new ways to communicate. She glanced at Rachel and was surprised to find the girl staring at her with a mixture of anger and hurt on her face. Santana's bravado faltered.

Rachel's gaze was almost too intense. "Are you lying?"

Santana thought about lying to cover her lie. "Er…yes. I guess." She felt her face grow red.

"So…why did you kiss Quinn?"

Santana shrugged and took another plunge. Lies begetting lies and all that. "Quinn asked me to kiss her. She's really into kissing girls."

Quinn gasped. "Santana! I do not like to kiss girls! Well, I mean, other than Rachel. I enjoy kissing Rachel."

Rachel stomped her foot on the ground. Santana flinched. Rachel grabbed her by the shirt collar and jerked her forward. Santana wasn't sure where this was going, but she was certain she wasn't going to like the destination.

And she was correct.

Rachel smashed her lips against Santana's. One word echoed inside Santana's mind: Brittany! How would she explain this to Brittany?

But she should've been more worried about Quinn. The blonde roughly pushed Santana away from Rachel and very nearly growled. "How dare you kiss Rachel!"

Santana was dumbstruck. All she could manage was to point her finger at Rachel in silent accusation.

Rachel scowled at Santana before walking away. When she was still within earshot, Rachel said, "Next time either of you attempt to con me, try harder. I'm ready for you both. You'll not take down glee club so long as I'm in the group."

Santana glanced at Rachel's retreating form. "I don't know why she is so hung up on glee club. It's not like I'd actually waste my time trying to destroy it now that coach isn't harassing us."

Quinn listlessly kicked at a pile of leaves. "She's hung up on it because it's important to her, Santana. She sees glee as her escape: From bullies, from her friends treating her badly, from life in Podunk, Ohio, from, well, everything that upsets her."

Santana watched as Quinn paced back and forth. "Quinn, you're driving yourself crazy over Rachel. You know she thinks of you as one of those bad things in life that she wants to escape, right?"

Quinn lowered her head. "I'm aware of that, yes."

"And it's obvious that no amount of begging is going to make her change her mind. You've tried! Nothing worked!"

Quinn picked up a tree branch and hurled it toward the lake. "You still shouldn't have lied to her!"

"Oh, and you're suddenly the paragon of honesty and virtue? I call bullshit. You told me Rachel ran in the mornings."

Quinn blushed. "That's right. And she speed-walks in the evenings, which is, technically, not running."

Santana was almost impressed by Quinn's duplicity. "While I admire your technique, Quinn, you lied to me by way of omission. It seemed only fair that I lie to Rachel about us being together. What better way to get at you?"

And with that, Quinn stalked away from Santana without so much as a goodbye.

Santana shouted out to her, "I don't care if you're mad at me. I'm still going to use your pool."

Since Quinn made no response, Santana considered that as Quinn's way of silently agreeing with her. She wasn't about to give up the pool for the rest of the summer. No way.

(Break)

"San, I'm hungry. Will you order me a pizza?"

Santana marked her place in the novel she was reading and reached for her phone. She was eager to fulfill any request – however small – that Brittany asked of her. She'd told Brittany that Rachel kissed her, but Brittany hadn't seemed surprised or upset. She'd simply shrugged her shoulders and asked if Rachel was a good kisser. Still, Santana couldn't be too careful. Maybe Brittany was testing her. Regardless, if she could make something happen for Brittany, she'd do it.

Trouble was, she couldn't find her phone. But Quinn's was within grabbing distance. Santana glanced toward Quinn's house. The blonde was still inside helping her mother pack for a weekend trip. Quinn, too, was acting as if everything were hunky-dory. When Santana and Brittany arrived at her house the day after the encounter with Rachel in the park, she'd led them to the pool and sat down in the chair beside the one Santana always claimed as her own. Quinn didn't act out even once. The morning had passed peacefully enough.

Santana picked up Quinn's phone and hesitated before dialing. A sudden feeling of unease crept through her. Quickly, she checked Quinn's recent calls list. And there it was: Exactly what she thought she'd find. The last four calls dialed-out were to the same number. Rachel Berry's number.

Santana ordered the pizza. And waited. Quinn finally came back outside. Santana held up Quinn's phone. "I ordered us a pizza. I hope you don't mind that I used your phone."

Santana was aware that Quinn had a tell: She blinked rapidly and averted her gaze to just past the person talking to her. Quinn was doing it right now.

"I don't care. Feel free to use my phone. But thanks for letting me know."

"I wouldn't keep something like that from you."

"It's not a big deal, Santana."

She removed her sunglasses and smirked at Quinn. "True. I mean, if I'd used your phone to call, say, Rachel…and if I did so four times in a row…now that would be important."

Quinn plopped down in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair. "I wanted to apologize to her. For our behavior in the park. I kept getting her voicemail."

Santana closed her eyes. "How many messages did you leave?"

"Four." That was precisely what Santana didn't want to hear: Four calls. Four separate voicemails.

Opening her eyes, Santana saw Quinn swat at a bee flying too close to the blonde's face. Quinn grazed her own nose and winced. And Santana's face lit up. Of course! Quinn's nose! If Quinn thought Rachel had hurt her nose, she was in for a rude awakening.

Santana reached over and bopped Quinn lightly on the nose.

"Ouch, careful, my nose still hurts."

Santana laughed. "I bet. But, my dearest, dearest friend, you should've thought of that before calling Rachel. Four…fucking…times."

Quinn eyed her carefully. Santana tapped Quinn's nose a second time.

"Honestly, Santana, quit it!"

Santana faux frowned in concentration. "I can't decide if you'd look better with a stud or a hoop. I think I'll let Brittany decide…"

**AN: Let me know if you like the direction this story is taking. Or if you'd rather me change it up. I only have two (maybe three) chapters to go. Thanks for reading, etc. **


	4. The Tattoo

"Let's go to the lake tomorrow."

Santana turned around and smiled at Brittany, who was happily tapping her fingers on the window of Quinn's car.

Quinn spoke up, "I second you, Brittany."

Santana whirled around to face Quinn, who was restlessly drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.

"Why the sudden interest in going to the lake, Q?"

"Uh…maybe since Brittany just mentioned it. And we've been spending too much time lounging around the pool."

Santana watched as Quinn absentmindedly swept her hand across her nose ring. She'd been perfecting that gesture for the better part of two weeks now. Two Rachel-free weeks, Santana was pleased to note.

Still, it was distracting and annoying; this new habit of Quinn's. "Stop doing that."

Quinn glanced at Santana. "Stop doing what?"

Santana touched Quinn's nose. "That thing you keep doing with your nose. It'll get infected."

Brittany leaned forward. "Next time, we should make Quinn get a tattoo."

Quinn braked hard at a red light and Santana beamed at her girlfriend. Now that was a punishment! She couldn't believe Brittany had thought of something so radical. And permanent. Especially since her last idea had been to simply have Quinn stop wearing skirts in favor of jeans or shorts. Santana was beyond proud. She would have never, ever thought of something as downright fantastic as a tattoo. Santana had no clue that Brittany could be so, well, sadistic. It was pretty sexy, she had to admit.

"No fucking way, Brittany!" Quinn was practically screaming.

Brittany seemed unfazed. "It should be a gold star."

Santana and Quinn both frowned. Well, Quinn was more or less scowling in anger. Santana was just short of bewildered. She faced her girlfriend and couldn't help but grin at the confident, sure look on Brittany's face.

"Why a gold star, Britt-Britt?"

"Because Rachel really, really likes gold stars. And it would be a constant reminder of Quinn's failure to stay away from Rachel. The gold star would be a symbol for Rachel."

Santana frowned again. That was a whole lot of information and it didn't quite sound very Brittany-like.

Quinn gaped at Brittany. "How do you know that Rachel likes gold stars?"

Brittany shrugged. "We have art class together. She draws a lot of gold stars."

Well, there you go, Santana thought. Seemed logical enough.

Quinn sighed. "Regardless, I haven't tried to contact Rachel since Santana forced me to get a nose ring. And I have no intention of doing so. Your plan, while clever, is null and void."

Santana looked at Brittany and rolled her eyes in Quinn's direction. Brittany giggled almost silently and winked at Santana.

(Break)

Santana hated the lake. She didn't understand how Brittany could enjoy plunging into icky, muddy water. They did, after all, have an all-summer pass to Quinn's clean and sanitary pool.

She wrinkled her nose as they reached the lake. It even smelled dirty. She tossed her lounge chair onto the ground and watched as it sunk into the mud. This was not going to be a happy day for her.

Brittany ran squealing past her and dove into the lake. Quinn laughed and planted herself down in a chair beside Santana.

Santana caught Quinn's eye. "This is not my idea of a good time."

"Oh, lighten up; you love to make Brittany happy."

"Yeah…but the lake? We have a pool!"

"Maybe Brittany wanted a change of scenery. It's a nice day, Santana. Try to relax."

"I still don't know why you are so keen on this. You don't strike me as a lake kinda girl."

"I'm not. But I'm tired of moping around at home. Even my mom is starting to notice."

Santana nodded and closed her eyes. She really wasn't in the mood to argue with Quinn. She was sleepy. Brittany had kept her up most of last night. Not that she was complaining. Maybe she could take a nap and wake up just in time to leave this horrid place.

(Break)

Santana awoke to the feel of someone shaking her shoulders.

"San, wake up. I can't find Quinn."

Santana glanced over at the empty chair to her left before blinking up at Brittany. How long had she been asleep? She'd lost all sense of time.

Brittany spoke again, "I came out of the water and she was gone."

Santana fought off a yawn. "What time is it?"

"I don't know. Did Quinn tell you where she was going?"

"No. I guess she didn't want to wake me."

"I think we should look for her. What if Rachel is here?"

Santana had the eerie feeling that Brittany was probably right. Why else, really, would Quinn be so eager to go to the lake? She'd even admitted it to Santana: She wasn't a lake kinda girl. Santana wanted to smack herself. How was it that Quinn kept duping her?

But, she tried to rationalize, Brittany could be wrong. Did Rachel hang out at the lake? Santana wasn't sure, but she certainly couldn't rule it out. She stood up, grabbed her girlfriend's hand, and went on the hunt for Quinn.

(Break)

They found her sitting under an oak tree. And talking to Rachel. Actually, upon a closer look, Santana concluded that Quinn was talking _at _Rachel. The brunette was standing silently over Quinn. For her part, Quinn had a death grip on Rachel's lower legs. Santana couldn't make out what Quinn was saying, but she had no trouble reading the pleading look on Quinn's face. It was absolutely revolting. And pathetic. What would it take to get Quinn to stop this nonsense?

Santana marched over to the two girls. Quinn snapped her mouth shut and her eyes grew wide at the sight of Santana. Quinn hastily stood up and moved toward her.

"This is not what it looks like, Santana."

Santana arched her brow. "Oh, is that so, Quinn? Please do feel free to tell me what this is about…if I am wrong in my assumption that you are talking to Rachel. Is it just my imagination? Am I the only one who sees Rachel?"

"Don't worry, San, I see her, too," Brittany whispered in her ear.

Quinn's voice rose an octave. "She approached me!"

Rachel glared at Quinn. "I was merely being polite by saying hello to you. I didn't expect such a reaction. There was no need for you to grab me in such a manner."

Quinn blushed deeply. "Rachel, why won't you believe me? I wasn't trying to sabotage anything at Nationals. You kissed me back!"

Santana shot Quinn a dirty look. "If you say that one more time, Fabray, I swear I will end you."

Quinn ignored Santana. She wouldn't look away from Rachel. Santana turned to Brittany. Her girlfriend's face was hard to read. She knew Brittany hated conflict. It made her extremely nervous. Brittany glanced between Quinn and Rachel. And back again. Brittany opened her mouth to speak, but Rachel quickly cut her off.

"You are correct, Quinn, I did kiss you back. But so what?"

Quinn stepped closer to Rachel. "Oh my God, Rachel! What more do you want from me?"

Rachel turned to address Santana, "I almost believe her. She sounds very earnest."

Brittany's shuffling behind her was distracting Santana. She didn't like it when Brittany was upset.

Quinn reached for Rachel again. "Let me prove it to you. Go out with me."

Rachel vigorously shook her head no and Quinn backed off. Santana mentally went through the list of tattoo parlors in the area. It might be a good idea to just go back to the same tattoo and piercing place in Dayton where Quinn got her nose ring. Maybe that was how Brittany got the idea for a tattoo in the first place. Brittany had spent some time looking through tattoo books while they waited for Quinn.

Rachel was staring at Brittany now, but neither girl spoke. Santana was unsettled by the look passing between them.

Quinn broke the trance that had seemed to settle over Brittany and Rachel. "So…will you reconsider and go out with me?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Quinn and answered the blonde's question, "No."

And with that she walked away.

Brittany called out to her. "Rachel…"

There was a strange tone to Brittany's voice. Santana couldn't decide if she should tackle that first, or comfort a now crying Quinn. She decided on dealing with Quinn. She'd have time to talk Brittany down later.

Santana awkwardly patted Quinn on the back. It wasn't long before Quinn sobered up and eyed Santana fiercely.

"Let's go."

"Uh…I have no intention of following Rachel, if that is what you mean."

"It's not. Might as well get this tattoo out of the way. At least it's not something to do with my hair."

Santana was confused. "Wait, hold up. You'd rather have something permanent done to your body than us mess with your hair?"

Quinn was still walking away from Santana and Brittany. She threw back over her shoulder, "Yes, actually, I would. I can get the tattoo in a place no one will see – neither of you stipulated where it had to be – and everyone sees my hair."

Santana jogged to catch up with Quinn. "That's kinda dumb, Quinn."

Quinn slowed so that Santana and Brittany could catch up. "I don't care what it is, Santana. Let's just get this over with so I can move on with my life and leave this mess with Rachel behind."

Quinn speeded up again. Santana and Brittany exchanged glances and quickly moved to follow after her.

**AN: One chapter to go. I am considering changing perspectives in the last chapter. I'm thinking Rachel. If you have a strong opinion, let me know. Thanks for keeping up with this story! **


	5. The Pink Hair

Quinn turned onto her stomach and Santana burst out into a fresh wave of giggles. She wiped at her eyes and tried to stem her laughter. But Quinn's furious glare in her direction wasn't having its intended impact. It only made Santana laugh harder.

The tattoo on Quinn's lower back, visible now as Quinn was by the pool and wearing a bikini, was all kinds of classic. She'd decided in a fit of either insanity or extreme genius that she would get a tattoo of Ryan Seacrest. Quinn had mumbled something about it being ironic. But Santana suspected there were ulterior motives behind Quinn's reasoning. Santana vaguely recalled that Rachel, for reasons unknown, loathed Ryan Seacrest. Was it because Rachel thought he looked like a weasel? Or he appeared too smug? And he was famous for no real reason? She wasn't sure. But she was more than certain that Quinn got the tattoo as a fuck you gesture to Rachel Berry.

And, four days after getting the tattoo, it was enough to make Santana laugh. Again.

Brittany emerged from the pool and Santana tried to hide her giggles under her pool towel. She knew Brittany didn't like it when she laughed at Quinn. Her girlfriend had been rather sad ever since their trip to the tattoo parlor. Brittany liked happy endings. And she was sad Quinn wasn't getting one. She'd been so upset, in fact, that she'd stayed home yesterday and Santana had been left alone to contemplate how to cheer up her girl. Today, though, Brittany seemed marginally better.

Quinn, on the other end of the spectrum, kept getting moodier as the days passed. Almost immediately upon leaving Dayton, Santana announced that, next time, they'd revisit the topic of Quinn's hair. Maybe dye it pink. Quinn had nearly lunged for Santana and her car veered dangerously close to the guard rail. After a torrent of cursing and objections to any more damage being inflicted upon her hair, Quinn had revealed that she was giving up on Rachel. It wasn't like Rachel cared for her. Or even believed that Quinn was really and truly interested in her.

Santana was content to believe Quinn, especially after the confrontation with Rachel at the lake. Not to mention Quinn's pathological and strange fear of having anyone mess with her hair. It should prove the ultimate incentive.

Santana glanced at the tattoo one more time and could not suppress her laughter, despite Brittany sitting right beside her. Quinn sat up and heaved a sigh but remained silent. Santana waited for Brittany's reprimand, but it never came.

Instead, Brittany shot up from her chair, started jumping up and down, and pointed her finger excitedly towards Quinn's house. At first, Santana had the terrifying thought that her girlfriend was having some type of seizure. Until her eyes landed on where Brittany's finger pointed, which was right at Rachel Berry.

Santana turned to Quinn just in time to see the blonde jump up from her chair and start vigorously shaking her head. Quinn's eyes were comically huge and bulging. Quinn moved closer to Santana and flipped her in front of her as some type of barrier between the blonde and Rachel.

"No way. No fucking way. I don't know why she's here, Santana, but I didn't ask her to come over."

Rachel eyed Quinn carefully. "But you called me seven times in a row – I counted – but you never said anything. You kept hanging up on me."

Santana felt herself whipped from side to side as Quinn violently continued to shake her head.

"I did not call you, Rachel! Don't lie! My hair is at stake here!"

Rachel frowned and thrust her phone at Santana and Quinn. Taking the phone from Rachel, Santana was able to clearly see for herself that Quinn had, in fact, called Rachel seven times. Santana smirked as she held the phone up for Quinn to see.

She wouldn't have believed it was possible, but Quinn's eyes grew wider. Her body stilled and her mouth dropped open.

"You are setting me up, Santana Lopez! You took my phone and called Rachel. You just want to dye my hair pink!"

"Fuck off, Fabray! I didn't call Rachel. I don't care that much about your stupid hair."

"Well, I'm not gonna stand for this. You can't dye my hair pink! I don't give a fuck if it was my phone or not! I like you a lot, Rachel, despite everything that they've done to keep me away from you. But I just will not have this keep happening. Not when it comes to my hair."

And with that Quinn took off running. She ran all the way to the sidewalk and down the block as the three girls she left behind looked on in startled wonderment.

Rachel turned to Santana and Brittany, a perplexed expression etched on her face. Brittany was looking at the ground. Santana didn't know what to say or do or even think.

Rachel was the first to speak. "That was…um…a peculiar reaction. What did Quinn mean…what have the two of you done to her?"

Santana quickly glanced at Brittany, who seemed absorbed in staring a hole through the grass, before addressing Rachel. "We made a bet, of sorts, with Quinn. To try to keep her away from you."

Brittany cut in, "She really likes you, Rachel. She's not lying."

Santana continued, "But we know by now that you don't like her…not like that, anyway."

Brittany interjected, "But she does like Quinn, San!"

Santana, ignoring her girlfriend, pressed on, "So…we made up a list of punishments – haircut, different clothes…now she has to dye her hair pink since she has this weird thing about…"

Brittany interrupted, "But I know she likes Quinn!"

The force – the sheer certainty – behind Brittany's words caused Santana to pause.

Brittany smiled at both girls but her eyes lingered on Rachel. "You like her, don't you?"

"That is really not the point. My feelings for Quinn are not up for discussion."

Santana remained silent. She was curious to see how Brittany played this out. Brittany's smile only brightened at Rachel's remark. Santana noticed that Rachel was starting to look uncomfortable.

Brittany renewed her interrogation. "Why are you here, Rachel?"

"Well…uh…because…she…" Rachel trailed off.

Brittany's smile was mega-watt at this point. Santana found herself grinning, too. Such was Brittany's effect on her.

'You came here because you were worried about Quinn. 'Cause I kept hanging up on you."

Santana's smile faltered. "Wait, Britt-Britt, _you _were the one who called Rachel? Seven times? With Quinn's phone?"

Brittany seemed unfazed. "Yep. While Quinn was in the pool and you were asleep. I wanted Rachel to worry enough about Quinn to call her back. But this is even better! She drove all the way to Quinn's house to check on her! That's how I know that Rachel likes Quinn!"

Santana looked over at Rachel for a confirmation or a denial. Rachel didn't provide her with an answer one way or the other.

Brittany took that as an opportunity to keep talking. "I wasn't sure, after Nationals, if you still liked her. You got so mad and you were so mean to her. But you didn't have to say hello to her at the lake, especially if you were still mad at her. That's when I figured out that Quinn is your irresistible force."

Rachel protested, "I was only being polite!"

Santana was following her girlfriend's lead now. "I disagree, Berry. There was actually no reason for you to go up to Quinn just to say hello. I think you secretly wanted to talk to her."

Brittany nodded her head excitedly. All Rachel could do was turn a brilliant shade of red.

A shout caused the three girls to turn their heads in unison. Quinn was barreling towards them. More specifically, she was heading for Rachel.

Quinn locked eyes with Rachel and blurted out, "Rachel Berry, I like you. I want you to be my girlfriend. I want to take you out on dates and buy you things and cook disgusting vegan food for you."

Quinn swiftly swooped Rachel into her arms and kissed her. They kissed for so long that Santana nearly blacked out from the sheer monstrosity of being present while Quinn Fabray and Rachel Berry macked on each other. Quinn's pool was never going to look the same to her again. Not ever.

Finally breaking the kiss, Rachel exhaled loudly and clutched at Quinn's shirt. She grinned at Quinn and said, "You are going to look so hot with pink hair."

Quinn pulled away from Rachel, but only slightly. "But you kissed me back!"

Just for that comment, which Santana had heard so many times that it might as well have been tattooed somewhere on her body, she was going to follow through with this plan. She didn't even remotely care at this point that Rachel was totally ready to hop aboard the Fabray train.

Santana grabbed Quinn by the arm and eyed her dumbstruck friend. "Get your head out of your Rachel-shaped clouds, Q. It doesn't matter if she kissed you back. You kissed her first. And that is against the rules."

Quinn protested, "But I didn't call her over here!"

Santana shot daggers at Rachel and Brittany. Both girls stayed quiet. "That doesn't matter, either. You initiated the kiss. Prepare to go pink."

Rachel pulled Quinn out of Santana's grip and kissed the blonde again. Santana decided now was the time to admire the flowers at bloom at the edge of Quinn's lawn.

Santana glanced back at the two girls in time to see Rachel run her fingers through Quinn's hair. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll dye your hair for you. It'll just be you and me."

Santana had no trouble reading the suggestive look on Rachel's face. Quinn seemed to literally melt at Rachel's comment. Brittany giggled. Santana reached for her girlfriend and headed for her car.

Without turning back, partly for fear of catching Quinn and Rachel in another public act of affection, Santana yelled at Quinn, "I still expect the full use of your pool for the rest of the summer!"

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this story. Thanks for all the reading and all the reviewing**.


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